Schools play a crucial role in a child’s life by shaping their education and behaviours. Promoting diabetes education and healthy lifestyles in the school environment can help ensure a healthy and prosperous tomorrow.

An estimated 1.1 million children and adolescents under the age of 19 live with type 1 diabetes.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) and Sanofi initiated the Kids and Diabetes in Schools (KiDS) project in 2013.

The aim of the KiDS programme is to bring diabetes education to schools to fight diabetes-related stigma and promote healthy lifestyles to tackle the preventable risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

KiDS resources are a crucial component of the project. They have been developed with the expert input of an international, multi-disciplinary advisory committee and adapted to local languages, cultures and environments, to facilitate implementation worldwide.

KiDS was piloted in Sao Paulo (Brazil) and New Delhi (India), engaging 1,393 school staff and 38,000 students, with the help of local partners Associação de Diabetes Juvenil (ADJ), the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and HRIDAY.

Following a positive evaluation, the KiDS Information Pack was translated into 18 languages and made available online to support global implementation.

There are currently two implementation models for KiDS. The first is structured and consists of the support, involvement or endorsement of policy makers, local NGOs and other partners. This results in regular sessions and educational events. Structured KiDS programmes are currently operating in schools across 14 countries: Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Hungary, India, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Spain, The Philippines and UAE. The second model consists of ad-hoc sessions, which have been organised in over 45 countries to date.

Additional resources have been developed focused on the promotion of healthy lifestyles. These include an educational guide on nutrition and diabetes in schools and an interactive online quiz. Their content is aligned with WHO recommendations and the pedagogical methodology of “learning-by-playing”.

Last update: 13/10/2023

“Thanks to the KiDS program, preliminary results show behaviors have started to change. ”

Saad Abdel Moneim Sadek, CSR Director from the Ministry of Education in Egypt

“The KiDS Information Pack was very helpful in educating children. It contains information about diabetes and how to manage the condition in school. ”

Hanaa Siddig Elsayed, Health educator, Saudi Arabia

“Each of the KiDS resources were very practical. I had good interaction with kids, parents and teachers and helped them to understand what diabetes is and how to cope with the condition.”

Dr. Haseeb Aman, India

“We want our country to free up from diabetes. A program like KiDS creates awareness among children and helps them to keep in shape for the future."

Ganpati Naik, School Headmaster, India

“This program has great value, it allows children and their parents to know how to live with diabetes, to consider this disease as a friend and not an enemy."

Prof. Dr. Mona Salem, Pediatrician, Vice-President of the Egyptian Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes

Supporting a safe and supportive school environment for people with diabetes

Vision

The vision of the KiDS project is to foster a school environment that creates a better understanding of diabetes and supports children with diabetes.

This is implemented by educational activities aimed at promoting healthy nutrition and exercise among the general public, driven by the school community.